Here we are with the second report on GEISAI#19. This time, we will focus on the jurors.

*The photograph is of Anselm Reyle, who prepared a trophy for his award.

All three jurors for GEISAI#19 hailed from overseas. They were:

German artist Anselm Reyle, whose show is on view at Kaikai Kiki Gallery;
Mika Yoshitake, the Assistant Curator of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden;
and Gabriel Ritter, the Assistant Curator of the Dallas Museum of Art and one of the curators of the Roppongi Crossing exhibition.

The jurors receiving the instructions regarding the schedule and the evaluation method.
Everyone was serious and focused, gearing up for the event.

Once the meeting was over, they donned the happi jacket and were ready to go.

Gabriel Ritter started at the opposite end from the other two jurors. At each booth, he carefully examined the works in which he took interest, sometimes asking questions about the concepts and other times suggesting books that the artists might wish to read up on.

Mika Yoshitake paused in front of many works, leafing through the portfolios and asking the artists about the concepts.

And here is Anselm Reyle. He spent time with so many artists and their works, observing each carefully, that he went over his time.

He spoke with many exhibitors, focusing on why they are creating the works they do and how they might fit into the historical context.

For the final decision, each juror spread out the Polaroids they have accumulated during the walk through and examined them further. Their judging eyes are nothing but serious.

Which artists would receive the awards?
Awaiting the announcement, the nominated artists held their breaths.

Finally, the announcement of the awards.
The award recipients were chosen from the 26 nominated artists and artist groups.

Here are the award recipients and the reasons for their selections.

Anselm Reyle Award (Keigo Nagata):：
Although he presented his works at his booth in many forms, each of them dealt with "nothingness" as its theme. This theme of "nothingness" is something I have been exploring myself, something we share.

But even before I heard about the theme, I was naturally drawn to his booth. After I chose him for my award, I learned that he is working with the theme of "nothingness," and I was assured that my choice was correct.

The works exhibited at the event:
→http://goo.gl/pYbWva

Mika Yoshitake Award (Tenki Hiramatsu):
I felt instinctively close to Mr. Hiramatsu's works. In terms of style, his works captured the minimalistic sense of color.

I really enjoyed both his drawings and his works that used oil paint but appeared as though they were watercolors; he painted mountains by accumulating the oil paint like a clay.

His presentation and installation was wonderful.
He exhibited a large number of works but laid them out very well, creating a clean, sharp space and environment. The framed belt works were leaned against the wall just so.
Through these elements, he managed to turn the three-dimensional into two-dimensional, adhering to the historical minimalism.

■The works exhibited at the event:
→http://goo.gl/zAxLtb

Gabriel Ritter Award (Yuasa Eboshi):
I really liked his collage works.
It reminded me of the works seen on Asahi Graph in the 1920s.
His works are very small, but it made an impression on me that the works contained social commentary in them.

I was very glad that today's young Japanese artists are creating works that address social significances and larger contexts.

Especially considering the current context of Japan, I believe works that question the conventional way of thinking are extremely important, and so his works deserve praise.

■The works exhibited at the event:
→http://goo.gl/vHkykS

Finally, we took a group photo with the recipients and nominees. Congratulations to the award recipients! Those who barely missed the awards, there is always the next chance. Please try again!

The detailed results can be fond here:
WEB site：http://goo.gl/tsNFqn Facebook ：https://www.facebook.com/GEISAI

Those who have received the Jurors' Awards or won the Point Ranking System have won the right to hold a show at Hidari Zingaro on the 3rd floor of Nakano Broadway.

We will keep you posted on these shows as well.